Jargon Watch: Pitstops, War-Texting, Data Furnace

Illustration: Carlo Marx

Li-Fin. Wireless data transmission using LEDs. By varying the intensity of the light faster than the eye can see, the tech transfers data more quickly than broadband. It is also safe in hospitals where radio waves are banned. Li-Fi will make its way into commercial products next year.

Pitstopsn. pl. Molecules that block viruses from invading cells by stopping the development of nanoscale pits in the cell membrane. Researchers think that the chemical signal that triggers tumor growth may enter cells via pits, meaning pitstops could inhibit some cancers.

War-textingv. Hacking into the software that lets drivers start a car or unlock its doors with a cellphone. The miscreants compromise security by sending unlock or start commands to the onboard computer via SMS — a trick that adds war-texting to a long line of exploits aimed at vulnerable networks, from war-dialing to war-driving.

Data furnacen. A cluster of servers used to warm a home with waste heat. Proposed by Microsoft as an alternative to centralized server farms that need to be air-conditioned, distributed networks of data furnaces would be maintained by cloud service providers who would give you free heating in exchange for a place in your basement.

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